News & Notes: June 25

Legion post gets outdoor drinking, smoking area

Shorewood - The Village Board will allow the North Shore American Legion Post, 4121 N. Wilson Drive, to have a 10 foot by 10 foot outdoor area where patrons can drink a beer or other alcoholic beverage and have a smoke. The post asked that its liquor license be amended to allow for outdoor drinking on its entire site in anticipation of the upcoming indoor smoking ban in the village, but the board, after some deliberation, designated an outside area.

Construction starts on Green Bay Road

Glendale -The summer road construction program is in full swing on Green Bay Road south of Good Hope Road. Contractors began milling the outer south bound lane Monday.

Motorists can expect one lane of travel in each direction to remain open while patching, storm sewer and sidewalk installation, intersection improvements and paving are being done.

The club also donated $1,000 toward the cost of a defibrillator to the North Shore Fire Department and $250 toward a sensory tube for the multisensory room at the Center for Blind & Visually Impaired.

Glendale-River Hills School District adopts preliminary budget

Glendale - The Glendale-River Hills School Board last week adopted a preliminary budget with expenses exceeding revenue by $3,668. District Administrator Larry Smalley said he expects the budget to be balanced once the state completes its biennial budget and the district learns its impact on the local budget.

The preliminary 2009-2010 budget shows general fund revenue of $12,373,267, up from $12,328,894 in the previous budget. The special education revenue budget dropped from $2,313,558 to $2,217,444 for 2009-2010. Expenses and revenue match in the special education budget while the general fund budget shows the $3,668 deficit.

Federal IDEA stimulus funds will be used to fund salaries of the Special Education support staff, removing those expenses from the tax bill.

Teachers hired by Glendale-River Hills

Glendale - There will be some new faces among the teaching staff at Parkway School in the fall. The Glendale- River Hills School Board last week hired Marney Petermann and Lindsay Curran to teach first grade, Michael Thiene as second grade teacher and Karen Watson for a vacant third grade position.

Mequon-Thiensville School District adopts preliminary budget

Mequon - The Mequon-Thiensville School Board adopted its preliminary 2009-2010 budget last week. The budget calls for a $55,891,086 spending plan, a decrease of $14,384 or 0.0 percent from 2008-2009. The proposed tax levy of $40,807,637 is up $373,776 or 0.92 percent from a year ago.

The equalized tax rate would increase 34 cents or 4.01 percent to $8.82 per $1,000 of equalized value from the previous rate.

The proposed budget is based on several assumptions, including the adoption of the maximum tax levy allowed, a 3 percent decrease in equalized property valuations and $2 million in general state aid. The state does not certify the actual amount of aid until October.

Superintendent of Schools Demond Means said the budget will change once the impact of the state budget is known. Enrollment over the summer can have a significant impact, as well, he said. The district budget assumes a loss of 99 resident students from the previous year. If the district does not lose that many students, the budget projections will improve.

Donovan Group to provide community relations services

Mequon - The Donovan Group will assist the Mequon-Thiensville School District with its plans for the 50th anniversary of Homestead High School and with a review of the district's community relations campaign.

"They will see what we are doing well and what we can improve on," said Superintendent of Schools Demond Means.

The Mequon-Thiensville Education Foundation will donate a one-time gift of $13,200 to supplement the $15,000 in the district's 2009-2010 budget for the one-year contract.

Traffic engineer, police chief say Green Tree Road fine

River Hills - A review of traffic on Green Tree Road failed to show a problem, according to both Police Chief Tom Rischmann and traffic engineer Bob Elkin.

A group of residents asked the village to review traffic conditions on Green Tree following a fatal accident on April 18. A driver with a medical problem lost control of his car and struck and killed a pedestrian walking along the road.

Rischmann and Elkin both wrote to the board that while there is more traffic than previously on the road prior to the development of a commercial area on Glendale, the traffic does not exceed the road's capacity. After reviewing the reports, the Village Board last week directed village staff to forward copies of both to residents.

Raises approved in River Hills

River Hills - The six non-union village employees will receive a one percent pay raise retroactive to Jan. 1, 2009 and a two percent raise effective July 1. Village Manager Tom Tollaksen said the village clerk will receive salary adjustments after her one-year review on Dec. 1. Employees in the two unions, police and public works, received similar raises per their contracts for this year, he said.

School District putting in calls about district facilities

Whitefish Bay - If your phone rings, it could be the School District calling to ask your opinion about district facilities and the possibility of a fall building referendum.

The School Board is working on a long-range plan to address maintenance and security concerns as well as improvements to enhance the student programs. A School Board-appointed committee of residents and school employees has made recommendations on long-term maintenance and enhancement of facilities. The survey will provide more information as the board works toward its decision.

The board also plans to hold community listening sessions in coming months.

Voters in 1995 approved a referendum to remodel Whitefish Bay Middle School. That debt will be paid off in 2010.

Scout recognized for planting project

Brown Deer - The Village Board on June 15 recognized Matthew Myszewski, a Boy Scout in Troop 184, who went above and beyond in work he organized for the village for his Eagle Scout project.

Matthew offered to plant prairie plants along Beaver Creek west of North 60th Street after learning the Department of Public Works could use assistance. The concrete drainage channel was removed last year and plans call for the plants to help develop native seeded banks.

The Department of Public Works planned on ordering 1,200 plants, but when the supplier offered a reduced price for the plants, the amount increased to 2,100.

When Matthew learned the number of plants almost doubled, he accepted the challenge and arranged for parents, friends and other scouts to help.

From 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. May 23, the group worked first in drizzle and rain showers, later in sunny and humid conditions, to lay out and plant all the native plantings.

St. Eugene looks at interior renovation

Fox Point - The Village Board on June 9 referred a plan for interior alterations at St. Eugene Church, 7600 N. Port Washington Road, to the Plan Commission.

The church wants to add a permanent baptismal font near the main entrance, create a kitchenette on the east side of the building and add a service counter to the usher's room on the west side.

There will be no alterations or enlargement to the outside of the building or the parking lot.

The commission will consider the interior renovation to the entry area at St. Eugene Church, 7600 N. Port Washington Road, at 4:30 p.m. July 6.

School Board names new Atwater principal

Shorewood - The Shorewood School Board named Timothy Kenney principal of Atwater School at its May 26 board meeting.

Kenny was a math teacher for 10 years at Shorewood High School and for the last two years has been assistant principal at the high school.

Kenny has an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a master's degree from Marian College.

He will replace Bonni Haber who is retiring.

School Board selects contractor for remodeling

Shorewood - J.P. Cullen & Sons was the lower bidder for several Shorewood School District projects that were funded in the 2008 referendum.

The School Board awarded a $1,443,199 contract to the company, which will act as general contractor for the remodeling of the Shorewood High School library and several smaller maintenance projects in the Administrative Building.

Foundation awards grants to Shorewood schools

The foundation awarded $8,471 for safety upgrades to the Shorewood High School chemistry classroom and labs; $1,679 for a mini DVD digital camera, LCD projector and a digital television for the high school; $1,708 for Elements at Shorewood Intermediate School to enhance the new computer lab and graphics instruction; $1,700 for three LCD projectors and one lamp for Atwater School.

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